Our state-of-the-art multidisciplinary facilities help provide researchers and students the best collaborative and supported environment in which to learn and conduct novel and world leading research

All space within the department is shared, open and collaborative. It can fall into a number of subcategories including office and laboratory types; research specific space, core facility space and supportive space (PPE, Utility etc.)

All of our research facilities and teaching spaces are staffed and supported by a dedicated and highly skilled team of technical staff, providing an efficient and effective means of both delivering key technologies and ensuring the maintenance of a skills repository, which is essential in delivering our international leadingactivities. 

Facility charges and costing can be accessed here - Queries to the relevant facility technical staff member or the Technical Operations Manager 

PPEUtility

PPE

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The department provides essential PPE consumables to all researchers within the department, including gloves, labcoats (and laundering), face masks etc. The PPE stores are based in level 6 Bessemer (B601a) and level 1 Bessemer.  This is in addition to LEV (including soldering) extraction and Fume Cupboards for high hazard work. 

Contact: Marta Garcia Bellmunt

Utilities

Utilities

The Utility rooms are dedicated spaces for sterilizing (GM waste, Instruments and media), Ice machines, the 3D print water Jet station and glass washing for all researchers. More information here

The department also provides and supports 1 distilled/pure water system per floor for researchers to utilise. 

Contact: Nana A. Asamoah-Danso

Departmental Core Facilities

3D Printing

3D Printing

 

Locations: B220, B114 Bessemer Building and RSM 4.22

ContactMarta Garcia Bellmunt
INTERNAL LIMS

3D printing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file by laying down successive layers of material until the object is created. The Bioengineering 3Dprinter facility offers 3 different types of 3Dprinters depending on the purposes and application of your project.

Objet 30 Pro

Objet 30 Pro

Based in Bessemer B220

A high end rapid prototyping machine that allows you to print with 8 different materials at the industry’s best print resolution.

  • Tray dimensions  300 × 200 × 150 mm
  • Cost: £15+ material used
  • Offered as a service by Departmental technicians

    Link to site ->

ultimaker 2

Ultimaker 2

Based in RSM 4.22 and B220

An entry level 3D printer. It comes equipped with a heated build platform and can print at a resolution of up to 20 microns. It supports both PLA and ABS and can print at a speed of 300 mm/s.

  • 20 microns layer resolution
  • a wide range of materials (PLA, ABS, CPE, CPE+, PC, Nylon, TPU 95A)
  • Tray dimensions 223 x 223 x 205 mm
  • Free of charge, own materials supplied

    Link to site ->
Bioplotter

3D Bioplotter

Based in B114, Cell culture core facility.

The Bioplotter is a versatile rapid prototyping tool for processing a great variety of biomaterials for computer-aided tissue engineering (CATE), from 3D CAD models and patient CT data to the physical 3D scaffold with a designed and defined outer form and an open inner structure. 

  • Build volume 150 x 150 x 140 mm
  • Cost £50 per booking 4 hour booking internal use (Departmental), including techncial assistance
  • Cost £100  per 4 hour booking  external use (non-departmental), including techncial assistance 

    Link to site ->

Workshop


workshop

Location: B220, LG04 Lower Ground Floor Royal School of Mines

ContactJohn Waldock, Departmental Mechanical Engineer

                Russell Stracey, Workshop Supervisor

Shared with Earth Sciences and Materials departments the main function of the Royal School of Mines mechanical workshop is to provide mechanical engineering support for teaching and research. Working closely with research staff and students, technicians help to prepare samples and design, develop and manufacture  prototype experimental equipment from a wide range of engineering materials for use in teaching and research. The activities performed are:

  - CNC (Computer Numerical Control)

  - machining Spark & Wire EDM (Electro Discharge Machining)

  - Grinding of metals and ceramics

Bessemer B220 is a workshop which is primarily used for projects/timetabled work. The lab has been fitted out for tensil testing, 3D printing, laser cutting etc. but is also suited for small mechanical work (drilling, sawing, gluing etc). Students are able to reserve a bench for projects.

 

Electronics

Electronics

Location RSM 3.19, RSM 4.22/4.25 4th floor Royal School of Mines.

Contact: Paschal EganTarik Malik

                Niraj Kanabar (White City)

RSM 4.22 is an undergraduate electronic teaching laboratory which facilitates the practical aspects of modules as well as project work.

Research groups must utilise this dedicated electronics facility rather than solder in their own laboratory space (unless risk assessments and suitable fume extracts are purchased and appropriately maintained). 

Laboratories

labs

Locations: B113 & B113a, B114 & B114a Bessemer Building.

Contact:  Joel Eustaquio for Histolgy.  Miguel Hermida for Tissue/Cell Culture, Microscopy, Bio and Laser safety and Cryopreservation.  Marta Garcia Bellmunt for Genomics and Microbiology.

TC_IMAGE

Tissue / Cell Culture

Containing all essential equipment for modern CLASS II primary and established cell culture use, including; Safety caninets, CO2 incubators, microscopes, centrifuges etc.

Equipment booking

Histology

Histology

A dedicated space for Histology work open to all departmental researchers wanting to conduct in activities, such as; Staining, Embedding (cryostat and microtome sample preparation),Sectioning with cryostat and microtome and use of chemical fume hoods
•Cryostat NX70 and Bright Cryostats
•Microtome Leica RM2255
Histocutter
•Embedding station and ovens

Equipment Available

Internal LIMS

 
Genomics_IMAGE

Genomics

A dedicated space for Molecular Genomics work open to all departmental researchers wanting to conduct in a molecular genomics activity, such as:
- RNA/DNA extractions
- Preparation of RNA/DNA
- PCR and Real time PCR
- Agarose gel electrophoresis
- Western blotting
- SDS PAGE

Equipment available

Internal LIMS

microbiology

Microbiology

A communal space for work involving the transformation, cloning and culturing of bacterial cultures, for example for plasmid preparation and GM construction and testing

INTERNAL LINK

Microscopy | Imaging

microscopy logoLocations: B114a, B106 Bessemer level 1. TissueCyte: B306, Bessemer level 3

Contact: Miguel Hermida
INTERNAL LIMS

The Bioengineering microscopy facility includes; Confocal, LCM, dissection, flourescence and light microscopy as well as highly specialised imaging and sectioning microscopes with the Histocutter (see Histology) and the TissueCyte 1000


TissueCyteTissueCyte 1000

An automated system from TissueVision Inc. capable of two-photon, sub-micron resolution imaging of entire small organs, ex vivo. A mouse brain, or similarly sized organ, can serially imaged over several days to generate three-dimensional data that can be used to map structures of interest such as cells, plaques or white/grey matter morphology.

PI charge out facility. Charged per hour of usage. Contact for more information

 

 


 

LeicaSP5

Leica SP5

A Leica DMI 6000CS inverted microscope with a motorized XY-stage and Z-drive motor focus (100 nm step size) as well as a SuperZ Galvo stage (1500 µm travel range) for higher speed and accuracy. An incubator is fitted on the microscope stage and CO2 can be piped into this chamber for live cell imaging.
 
Objectives: 10x (dry), 20x (immersion), 40x (oil), 63x (glycerol) 
Data about microscope use can be found here
 
 Lasers: 
  • 100 mW Argon laser 458, 476, 488, 496 and 514 nm
  • 100 mW Argon laser 458, 476, 488, 496 and 514 nm
  • 2 mW HeNe 594 nm
  • 10 mW HeNe 633 nm  
LCM

Zeiss PALM laser capture microdissection (LCM) microscope

Suitable for laser microdissection and analysis for DNA, RNA and protein isolation  — whether from archive material or live cells. Applicable to cryosections, FFPE (formalin fixed and paraffin embedded) tissue

Slide Holder: For 3 slides
Collection device: Accommodates up to eight eppendorf tubes
Objectives: 5x, 10x, 20x, 40x
Filter sets: DAPI, FITC, Texas Red or equivalent
Camera: AxioCam ICc1 and MRm
Applications: Dissection and capture of defined tissue regions/cells for subsequent RNA/ DNA/ protein extraction.

Software: PALM Robo v 4.6

Information video ->

Brunel

Brunel SP105F with pE300 LED fluorescence microscope

Inverted fluorescence microscope;

  •   Transmitted illumination - 6v 30watt (bright field and phase contrast available)
  •   Objectives: 10x, 20x, 40x
  •   Fluorescence channels: UV1 - DAPI,
  •   B1 – FITC, G1 – TexasRED
  •   Fitted with Canon EOS 1200D camera 

Core Facility categories

Engineering Facilities

Also known as tension testing, this is a fundamental materials science and engineering test in which a sample is subjected to a controlled tension until failure

Open for use under stupervision/training

Scientific stations

Availble on each bench station for use

Core utilities

The Bioplotter is a versatile rapid prototyping tool for processing a great variety of biomaterials for computer-aided tissue engineering (CATE), from 3D CAD models and patient CT data to the physical 3D scaffold with a designed and defined outer form and an open inner structure. 

  • Build volume 150 x 150 x 140 mm
  • Cost £50 per booking 4 hour booking internal use (Departmental), including techncial assistance
  • Cost £100  per 4 hour booking  external use (non-departmental), including techncial assistance